I learned how to make “larb” on my honeymoon in Chang Mai, Northern Thailand. My husband, Aaron, and I took a cooking class together which was one of the highlights of my trip and resulted in this recipe for a minced meat salad. It is based on a Southeast Asian recipe that is also referred to as “laap” or “laab” and is filled with herbs, fish sauce and shallots.
Course Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine Asian, Thai
Keyword cilantro, fish sauce, ground pork, herbs, larb, meat, pork
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Servings 4as an appetizer, 2 as an entrée.
Calories 471kcal
Ingredients
For the larb:
2tablespoonsvegetable oil
1poundground pork
Kosher salt,as needed
3tablespoonsfish sauce
2tablespoonsfreshly squeezed lime juice
2Thai birdseye chilies,thinly sliced
1stalk lemongrass,thinly sliced (tender parts only)
1medium shallot,thinly sliced
3green onions,thinly sliced
¼cuproughly chopped mint leaves
½cuproughly chopped cilantro
For the crispy shallots:
Vegetable oilas needed, for frying
2medium shallots,thinly sliced
For serving:
1medium English cucumber,sliced on the bias
6ouncesgreen beans
¼head cabbage,leaves separated
1small head butter lettuce,leaves separated
Instructions
For the larb:
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the vegetable oil and heat through. Add the pork, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Cook until the pork is cooked through and no longer pink but not browned and season with salt, about 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork to a medium mixing bowl, draining as much of the cooking liquid as possible.
In a small mixing bowl whisk together the fish sauce, lime juice, Thai chilies and lemongrass then pour over the pork mixture and toss together with the shallots, green onion, mint and cilantro.
For the crispy shallots:
Add enough oil to a 10” cast iron skillet ½” of the way up with the oil. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350ºF . Add the shallots and fry, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown and crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes, lowering the heat if they brown too quickly. Use tongs to remove the shallots to a paper towel-lined plate and cool for 5 minutes.
For serving:
Serve warm or at room temperature with the sliced vegetables for serving.